Red Cliff Band files class complaint against Equifax over data breach

In a complaint filed Nov. 1 in U.S. District Court in Eau Claire, the Red Cliff Band alleges that the tribe was harmed when Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and birthdates held by the company were breached between May and July 2017 and the company failed to notify the public until September.

“Plaintiff and Class Members now face years of constant surveillance of their financial and personal records. Plaintiff and Class Members have incurred and will continue to incur damages in addition to any fraudulent use of their (personally identifiable information),” the Band said in the complaint.

The Red Cliff Band said the complaint was filed “on behalf of itself but also on behalf of all other federally recognized tribes.”

“If certified, the suit would be a broad Native American effort against the companies,” the Red Cliff Band said in a news release Thursday.